NYT: Some Chinese Masks Are Made with Forced Uyghur Labor

Chinese Media Introduce as Part of Poverty Alleviation Efforts
Many Cases Actually Involve Involuntary Participation
Experts Say "Considered Forced Labor Under International Law"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Sun-mi] There are claims that some of the Chinese-made masks for export were produced through forced labor of the Uyghur ethnic minority in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

On the 20th, The New York Times (NYT) reported that amid the surge in demand for masks and other protective equipment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese companies have been forcibly utilizing Uyghur labor to produce masks, which are then exported to the United States and other countries around the world.

Before the global spread of COVID-19, only four Chinese companies in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region produced COVID-19 related protective equipment, but as of June 30, after the worldwide spread, that number increased to 51. Among them, at least 17 companies are participating in programs supported by the Chinese government that allow the use of Uyghur labor, the report added.

The NYT pointed out that most of the COVID-19 protective equipment produced by these companies is for domestic use within China, but some companies export to the United States and other countries worldwide. It was also reported that 100 Uyghurs were dispatched to a mask factory in Hubei Province, outside the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, to participate in production work, and masks produced there were exported to the state of Georgia in the U.S.

Chinese media promote programs that allow companies to use Uyghur labor under government support as part of poverty alleviation efforts, but in reality, many workers involved in these labor programs participate involuntarily, the report added. The assignment of quotas for the number of Uyghurs to be deployed in labor programs and various penalties imposed when cooperation is refused are cited as evidence that Uyghurs are being involuntarily mobilized into forced labor programs.

Amy K. Lehr, Director of the Human Rights Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), pointed out, "Coercive quotas force people to be involved in production work even if they do not want to. This can be considered forced labor under international law."

Meanwhile, Dominic Raab, the UK Foreign Secretary, said in an interview with BBC on the 19th (local time), "It is clear that serious and severe human rights abuses are being committed in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. We will take appropriate measures with our allies," suggesting that the UK may soon pursue sanctions against China regarding the Uyghur issue.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.